The Nevada man who opened fire inside a Manhattan skyscraper and killed four people, including a New York City officer, was the son of a retired officer with the Los Angeles Police Department, multiple law enforcement sources tell NBC Los Angeles Tuesday.
The sources said Shane Devon Tamura’s father, Terence Tamura, served 27 years at the LAPD.
“The LAPD can confirm that Police Officer III Terence Tamura retired in good standing on August 5, 2017,” said Director of Public Information Jennifer Forkish, adding the former officer initially had joined the force in June 1990.
It is not immediately clear whether the father was aware of his son’s plans.
Shane Tamura was in Southern California in the 2010s while his father was working for the LAPD. The younger Tamura attended high school in Southern California, where he was a football player. He later transferred to Granada Hills Charter School in Granada Hills in 2015 when he was a senior, coming from Golden Valley High School in Santa Clarita.
His football coaches and high school teammates remember Tamura as a football standout, being described as a quiet but hardworking player with a smile.
“Total shock, total shock,” Walter Roby, Tamura’s former football coach said. “Just to see someone you’re affiliated with or someone that you know or coach, it’s tough. It’s really tough to see in that light.”
Roby Tuesday wondered if there was anything he could have done to prevent Tamura from becoming a killer a decade later.
“It reminds you of the word, 99 sheep and 1 gets away, you try to really look at yourself,” the former coach said. “Could there have been more than I could have done to help him?”
Tamura, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wounds after gunning down several people, suffered from mental health issues, but Roby said he had never witnessed or encountered any problems with Tamura.
Granada Hills Charter High School released a statement Tuesday, confirming Tamura attended the school in the fall semester of 2015.
“(Tamura) has had no connection with the school since his withdrawal a decade ago,” the school said. “We are horrified by the violence in New York. It is heartbreaking, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the victims, their families, and affected communities.”
NBC Los Angeles reached out to Golden Valley High School for comments.